This Tu Bishvat - A Nobel Environment Pize

Like nature itself, Tu Bishvat has gone though a number of different seasons throughout its existence. From its Biblical origins as a tax day on fruit trees, to its Kabbalistic transformation as a nature-mystical holiday, and more recently as the environmental holiday par excellence of Judaism.

Our tradition is saturated with nature-sensitive messages, from the charge to “guard” the earth (Genesis 2:15) to the nature-intoxicated words of many of the Psalms, to the sublime message not to disturb the environment on Shabbat.

The environment is synonymous with life, and we are commanded in Deuteronomy to “choose life” (30:19). We know that the condition of our shared global environment is increasingly vulnerable and that we must act with greater resolve to address its condition.

One way to affirm that commitment would be the establishment by the Nobel Foundation of a Nobel Environment Prize.

As the Tu Bishvat and the seasons change, so has the Nobel Prize. From 1901 until 1969, Nobel prizes were awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. However, in 1968 the Nobel Prize in Economics was added and the first award conferred the following year.

While the establishment of a new Nobel prize should not be taken lightly, humanity has entered a new century where Alfred Nobel’s goal to improve the human condition and the conditions for our survival now face grave challenges caused by the deterioration of our global environment. The Nobel Prize in Economics was established by a large donation by the Riksbanken, the central bank of Sweden, to the Nobel Foundation.

While the prize in Economics was not part of Alfred Nobel’s original list of prizes as described in his will, it is considered almost as prestigious. A similar donation by an individual or foundation could be the catalyst for the establishment of the Nobel Environment Prize.

There are those who will say that the Nobel Peace Prize is the appropriate venue to recognize outstanding achievements in the field of the environment, as was done four years ago.

There is a logical connection between peace and the environment. More and more government agencies, think tanks and academics understand the connection between the debasement of environmental conditions and military conflict. Severe drought caused by climate change has been a factor in the conflict in Darfur. In contradistinction the environment can serve as an agent for peacebuilding as, for example, seen through the bridge-building work of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura.

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